Maple and Lignum Vitae jointer plane with removable fence

This design was featured in the June issue of the British magazine, Furniture and Cabinet Maker. I thought the idea of a removable fence was a good enough reason to build one. The thick blade is from Wood Joy, the hard maple from a reject baseball bat blank and the lignum V. from Lee Valley Tools sales table.The lignum V. is dovetailed into the maple body and makes for a super slick and durable base. The front piece slides so that you can close down the mouth. I have another hand made plane that allows me to adjust the sliding fit of a 7 degree dovetail. A thin piece on lignum was glued to the face of the fence with Type Bond III glue (adhesion seems fine). The brass striking button on the rear works really well, easing off the depth of cut when struck with a hammer. No need to ding the plane. Both knobs have 1/4-20 threaded rods. The one in the fence has a retaining clip (hopefully I won’t lose it). The top knob can also be mounted on the side, allowing you to use the plane on a shooting board. The plane is 17.5” long and weighs close to 5 pounds so it has great momentum and a low center of gravity. The fence gives you dead square shoulders. Works nicely in a vice upside down too.

After shooting some end grain yesterday I have been thinking all morning about making a plane with a handle on the side for the sole purpose of using it with a shooting board. I saw your plane and see you have already done that. Awesome